


You'll Be Stuck On It Cause My Love's So Good

by senioritastyles



Series: Lynn's Fics [4]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, American Football, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Friends to Enemies, Lashton - Freeform, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:46:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9727457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/senioritastyles/pseuds/senioritastyles
Summary: "How was it? How was it, Ash? Was it fun? Did you throw the ball? Was it awesome? Did they-""Lu, too many questions." Ashton chuckles, petting at Luke's hair as he moves his awkwardly growing fourteen year old body towards the backyard with his twelve year old best friend and neighbor close behind him.Ashton sits on the warm grass, tossing his shoulder pads and helmet to the side and kicking his muddy cleats off, turning to look at Luke's tanned face and they way it makes his eyes look an even brighter blue than normal. Luke looks anxious to know about Ashton's first football practice, brimming with so many questions that they'd probably be here all night if Ashton let Luke keep asking, and he knows it's only because this is the first thing that Ashton's done without Luke in pretty much forever and that Luke's curious because he wants to play football too. Luke isn't old enough for the town league yet though, and he won't be for two more years so right now he's stuck with living vicariously through Ashton.Or: Luke and Ashton are football buddies until they're not and then they are again and then they're not and---okay, you get it.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [social_reject](https://archiveofourown.org/users/social_reject/gifts).



> (title is from So Good by Zara Larsson ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

"How was it? How was it, Ash? Was it fun? Did you throw the ball? Was it awesome? Did they-"

"Lu, too many questions." Ashton chuckles, petting at Luke's hair as he moves his awkwardly growing fourteen year old body towards the backyard with his twelve year old best friend and neighbor close behind him.

Ashton sits on the warm grass, tossing his shoulder pads and helmet to the side and kicking his muddy cleats off, turning to look at Luke's tanned face and they way it makes his eyes look an even brighter blue than normal. Luke looks anxious to know about Ashton's first football practice, brimming with so many questions that they'd probably be here all night if Ashton let Luke keep asking, and he knows it's only because this is the first thing that Ashton's done without Luke in pretty much forever and that Luke's curious because he wants to play football too. Luke isn't old enough for the town league yet though, and he won't be for two more years so right now he's stuck with living vicariously through Ashton.

"Ashton please tell me about practice, I'm dying here!" Luke whines, ever the dramatic one, as he flops back against the grass—only sparing a quick thought to the green stains he's probably creating that will have his mom sighing all the way to the laundry room.

"Alright, Lu, alright." Ashton laughs, leaning back on his elbows with his loose practice jersey and his tight black padded pants dragging against the ground. "What do you wanna know?"

"Who's on the team, for starters." Luke says bluntly, immediately curious as to who Ashton might make friends with so he knows if he has to be worried about losing his best friend in the entire world.

Ashton, although he doesn't say so, picks up on the subtle undertone of anxiety in Luke's voice and he knows why it's there which makes him reach over and grab Luke's hand—a sign of affection they'd taken to using recently. "No one really cool, honestly. It was mostly kids I've never talked to before, except for Calum."

"Calum Hood?" Luke squeaks, his eyes popping wide when Ashton nods and then Luke's expression quickly turns to something like angered confusion. "But...he's not even fourteen yet. He's only thirteen."

"His dad is the coach of the team so they let him join early, with his weird friend Michael." Ashton explains, shrugging like it's no big deal when to Luke, it's a very big deal.

"That's not fair." Luke pouts, pulling his hand away from Ashton's just enough that there's some space but not far enough that Ashton couldn't grab it again if he wanted to.

Ashton sighs and sits up, looking over at Luke's face. "Don't get all upset Lu," He pleads quietly, tugging Luke's hand back toward him, "it'll just give you more time to get better at football before try-outs and that way you're sure to make the team."

"Yeah, but how am I gonna get better without the trainers and stuff that you guys have?" Luke pouts, still trying to hold onto the bad mood just because he doesn't want to admit that Ashton makes sense.

Ashton chuckles and it's like he already knows Luke's given up on being angry about it. "I'll be your trainer. Every time I get back from practice, I'll come over and teach you what I learned."

Luke's smile is huge at the prospect of learning from his best friend, his excitement through the roof and he doesn't even bother trying to hide it. "You're the coolest best friend ever, you know that?"

"Of course I know that." Ashton boasts jokingly, knocking his shoulder into Luke's with a laugh.

\----------------------------------------------

Luke is sweating profusely. He's soaked everywhere, head to toe, sweating in places he didn’t even know could sweat and it's all thanks to Ashton and him insisting that he and Luke go for a run together every day to help them both get and stay in shape for football. Luke kind of wants to point out that he still has two years to go before he's even allowed to try out for the team and that he has all the time in the world to get in shape before then, but he likes spending time with Ashton of course, and his best friend seems to really enjoy his newfound leadership role so Luke doesn't really want to ruin it for him—even if it means sweating his ass off every single day in the heat.

When they finish their two mile run, all Luke wants to do is sit in the shower and not move for a long time, but Ashton immediately drags him back to his backyard and picks up the old football waiting for them at the base of the deck steps. "I learned how to throw on the run yesterday and I wanna show you."

Luke was going to complain about doing more physical activities, but throwing on the run sounds really cool and he definitely wants to know how to do that. "Okay, show me."

"Alright, get ready to catch, okay?"

Luke nods at Ashton's request, watching him bend over with the ball on the ground, his hand gripping around it and his legs spread shoulder length apart, bent just a little bit at the knees to give him balance—a stance he taught Luke a few weeks ago. Ashton snaps to attention abruptly and it would've startled Luke if he hadn't been so used to it by now, and he's already set to catch the ball the way Ashton showed him to when Ashton starts jogging sideways across the yard. Luke watches him carefully and then Ashton's right arm whips around with the ball and he lets go, throw it hard and fast and accurate, just to the left of Luke's body and a little above Luke's head so that if he were a wide receiver he'd be perfectly set up to catch it on the fly. Luke steps forward and hops just enough, snagging the ball right out of the air and landing in a half jog.

"Okay, that was cool." Luke smiles, twirling the ball around in his hands.

Ashton smiles back. "And that was a wicked catch, Lu."

Luke shakes his head, trying not to blush at the compliment as he jogs over to Ashton with the ball in his hands. "You have to teach me that right now."

"Alright, well the first thing to remember is that you can't go forward past the line of play when you do this, you have to go sideways otherwise you'll have to run the ball and you can't throw it." Ashton explains, moving over towards the short chain-link fence that outlines his backyard. "We'll say this pole is the line of play, alright?" Luke nods at the suggestion, focusing on the invisible line the metal pole creates across the yard. "Now the idea is to give yourself a better vantage point to throw the ball more directly to your wide receiver, so once you have a clear path you wanna throw just how I showed you before, except while you're running."

Luke nods again and Ashton cross the yard to stand where Luke has just been as Luke sets himself up in the same position Ashton started in before, bent at the waist and the knees with the ball on the ground. He looks up at Ashton to make sure he's ready before he takes a deep breath and snaps up, following Ashton's exact path sideways a few feet before he cocks his arm back and propels it forward, launching the ball across the yard to Ashton. It's a decent throw for his first try at this tactic, not quite as accurate as Ashton's but in the same ballpark and Ashton is able to catch it easily.

The older boy turns to Luke with a huge grin. "That was almost perfect, Lu." Luke beams proudly, catching the ball when Ashton tosses it casually back to him. "Again."

\------------------------------------------------

Luke has spent quite nearly every day for the past two years running and training with Ashton, the town's new all-star quarterback as it were, and now the day has finally come and he officially try out to be on the same team as Ashton. They're on their way now, Luke stuffed with all the equipment in the backseat as Ashton drives them there with his brand new learner's permit, his mom in the passenger's seat fiddling with the radio. Luke feels fidgety, knowing fully well that he's ready for this but there's no way of knowing who he'll be up against. He already knows Ashton's going for quarterback again for the third season in a row, and he's sure the older boy will snag the spot as usual, which means he'll probably end up being the back-up and he's okay with that. He doesn't mind being second to Ashton.

When they get there Luke feels more nervous than ever, bouncing his leg as Ashton parks the car in an open spot, albeit crookedly, and when the Irwin's get out Luke stays put. Ashton turns to presumably help Luke carry their shoulder pads and helmets when he realizes Luke is still shut tight in the backseat, staring at the field full of boys in practice gear tossing footballs back and forth and stretching out.

Ashton furrows his brow and pulls the back door open, resting his knee on the seat and leaning in. "Lu, what are you doing? What's wrong?"

"I'm never gonna make the team, Ash." Luke's eyes are wide when he says it, like he's coming to some catastrophic realization.

"Why would you say that? Of course you're gonna make the team, Luke."

Luke shakes his head, finally turning to look properly at Ashton. "Not with all these people trying out too, Ashton, I surely can't beat everyone out."

"You don't have to beat everyone Luke, only like two or three people don't make it and that's just because team can't legally exceed a certain amount of players." Ashton tells him, bumping his knuckles into Luke's arm. "You'll make the team, Luke, I know you will."

Luke exhales sharply and nods, gesturing for Ashton to get out so he can follow. Ashton grabs his own helmet and pads and waits for Luke to get out and do the same, walking side by side with him onto the field, leading him towards Michael and Calum on the far side.

"Hey guys, you remember Luke right?" Ashton calls, greeting Calum with a "bro handshake" as Calum calls it.

Michael chuckles to himself. "Ah yes, the Irwin personally cheerleading squad of one."

Ashton rolls his eyes at Michael's snideness, swatting at his head as Luke blushes and shrinks in on himself a bit, not too keen on being embarrassed right out of the gate. "Don't be a dick, Mike."

Michael laughs and swats back at Ashton which quickly turns into the oldest boy chasing Michael around in a circle while Luke watches with a red face. "Hey, ignore Michael, he's just naturally an ass to everyone."

Luke nods and pulls his practice jersey off, throwing his pads on and doing his best to secure them himself when he's only done it once or twice before. Calum quickly comes to his rescue and he helps Luke get the pads on with skilled hands.

"You cheating on me with Hemmings, Calum?" Michael pants, out of breath from running away from Ashton as he knocks into Calum's shoulder with a giggle.

"Never babe." Calum laughs, shaking his head as he helps Luke pull the practice jersey back over the pads.

Michael smiles triumphantly as Ashton comes back over with his own pads on, smiling at Luke as Coach Hood blows his whistle and calls all of the potential players to attention. "Alright boys, listen up! Today we're gonna go over the basic skills and assess everyone's abilities to try to decide what positions you should play, and tomorrow night will be more about speed, agility, and strength testing, got it?" There's chorus of varied positive responses and Coach Hood nods at them, satisfied with their responses. "Now get those helmets on and let's go!"

Luke shoves his helmet over his head and secures the chin strap, staying close by Ashton as they start working their way through the throwing and catching drills the coaching staff has set up for them. Luke listens carefully to what they're supposed to do, making sure he goes after Ashton since he seems to learn the best from the older boy. Ashton easily catches the hard pass from one of the coaches, quickly switching his feet and firing the ball towards another coach. He passes it right into the man's hands with ease, smiling as the coach tries to subtly shake his hands to dispel the sting. Ashton jogs off to wait at the back of the line again as Luke steps up, aiming to do this with as much speed and precision as Ashton. The coach sends the ball right at Luke and he catches it perfectly, his feet switching and his arm swinging forward. It sends the ball spiraling effortlessly with strength and speed and it slaps into the waiting coach's hands so hard that the man drops the ball immediately after he catches it and he shakes his red hands out violently, looking at Luke with shock on his face.

Everyone seems to be staring at Luke now, even the parents on the bleachers who had been passively watching the proceedings are looking right at him as he blushes under his helmet, looking back at the coach he accidentally hurt. "Sorry." He calls, his voice breaking with nerves as he quickly tries to disappear to the back of the line behind Ashton.

"Better watch out, Irwin, looks like you might lose you precious spot." Someone calls from the middle of the line, followed by a chorus of muffled laughs as Luke tries to shrink down to nothing and avoid the prying eyes.

Ashton turns around and looks at Luke with an encouraging smile. "That was incredible Lu." He whispers, trying to keep the conversation just between them since he can sense the embarrassment rolling off of his best friend.

"Thanks." Luke whispers back, putting his knuckles against Ashton's arm to calm himself down a little bit.

Ashton brushes his fingers against Luke's to make sure the younger boy knows he's got his back as he turns to face front again, watching the rest of the players catch and throw for the first time before it gets back to Calum at the front of the line. Calum catches the ball and throws it to his opposite side now, going same-side with the toss this time so he has to make a bigger adjustment with his feet. Luke watches each person go, including Ashton, and then he sets himself up to catch and throw. The coach waiting for the pass looks a little unready but Luke receives the pass and fixes his footing and fires the ball his way anyway, watching the man catch it and visibly cringe at the pain.

"Hey, what's your name, kid?" Coach Hood calls from just beside the line of players.

Luke looks over and points to his chest to make sure the coach is talking to him before answering somewhat sheepishly. "Luke Hemmings."

The coach nods and writes something on the clipboard he's holding, looking back up at Luke. "Do that again."

Luke nods and turns back around, swiftly catching the ball and sending it off with a loud smack against the hands of his target, the coach catching it and this time dropping the ball to soothe his own hands. Luke turns toward Coach Hood when he's done, watching him write down more and scribble some stuff out before he's instructed to get to the back of the line.

"You don't have to show off, you know." Ashton mutters, not even bothering to look fully at Luke through their face guards.

"I'm not, Ash, I'm just doing what you taught me to do." Luke defends, not at all liking the tone his best friend is using.

Ashton chooses to ignore Luke, more or less, and for the rest of the drills Luke is left with a sour taste in his mouth and an ache in his chest every time he looks to Ashton and finds the boy pointedly not looking at him.

\----------------------------------------------

Luke's heart actually probably stops when the coach posts the team list two days later, with each person's position and his name is near the very top with "starting quarterback" next to it. Ashton's name is just below his, the words "back-up quarterback" staring back like a traitorous snake on the page. Luke wants to die as Ashton steps up next to him, most of the other players having scattered off already which leaves basically just the two of them standing there together. Ashton puts his finger on his name and drags it to the right in a straight line, dropping his hand with his jaw locked as he turns to look at Luke with eyes full of hurt and something more that Luke doesn't really recognize.

"Ash-"

"Why?" Ashton cuts him off, his glare accusing.

"Why what?"

Ashton huffs as if Luke is the most annoying child ever. "Why did you have to play the same position as me? You stole my spot."

Luke physically steps back like he'd been slapped in the face, furrowing his brows as he tries to find his voice. "I didn't steal anything, Ashton. Coach gave me the spot because I earned it and for the record, I only know how to play quarterback because that's all you ever taught me. You showed me everything you learned as soon as you learned it, and it's not my fault that Calum's dad thinks I'm better at it than you are." Luke regrets it even as he's saying it but his mouth won't stop, it's like he vomits up every word uncontrollably until it forms a sentence he can never take back even as he tries to stutter out an apology.

Ashton's jaw drops, unhinges really, with surprise and it only takes him a split second to get entirely pissed. "You asshole."

Before Luke can even blink he's on the ground underneath Ashton, rolling around in the grass and grunting under the weight of the older boy. The toss around until Ashton ends up back over him again and in a flash of anger he swings his fist down and it connects with Luke's jaw and some of his mouth, the sound of the hit so sickening that Ashton feels like he wants to gag. Luke lays there, completely unmoving and his whole body feels like its in shock as his mouth starts bleeding and he can feel the bruise forming on his jaw. He looks slowly back at Ashton who looks just as surprised as Luke feels, the younger boy's eyes stinging with unshed tears at the pain of the hit and the betrayal of who hit him.

"Luke, I...I didn't mean to do that." Ashton breathes, getting off of Luke and standing up, reaching down to help the younger boy up.

Luke ignores the offered hand and gets up on his own, pressing his hand against his jaw and wincing at the pain before moving his fingers over and swiping at the blood pouring from his lip, pulling his hand away to look at it as if to make sure it's what he thinks it is before he glares at Ashton menacingly and spits the blood out right towards Ashton's feet. Ashton takes a step back so it doesn't hit him and for the first time in Luke's life, he feels the need to swear.

"Fuck you."

Ashton's reaction is immediate hurt as Luke spits the blood out again and goes storming off towards the parking lot where his mom is waiting to drive him home, and suddenly Luke's glad that he didn't ride with Ashton this time.

\------------------------------------------------

"Hemmings, let's go!"

Luke swallows thickly and yanks his helmet from his locker, slamming it shut after and following his team out of the locker room, feeling the nervousness bubble up in his chest when he remembers that they're playing the high school Ashton's the quarterback for tonight. He hasn't really spoken to Ashton in two and half years, not since that first season of town football where Luke got the spot of starting quarterback instead of Ashton, and since then a lot has changed. Luke's grown up, he's had and lost two girlfriends and one secret boyfriend, figured out he's probably mostly gay, and is now a sophomore in high school and starting quarterback for his school team. Ashton moved at the beginning of last school year, not too far away but far enough to be mostly out of sight and out of mind and good riddance. Luke couldn't care less about what Ashton's been up to, not after the way he acted towards Luke over a stupid position in football.

Luke's gotten good at that too, channeling his anger into the way he plays and using it to make his throws precise and accurate and laser sharp, using it to increase his agility and speed if he has to run the ball himself. He's working on it right now, on centering it so he can use it to kick Ashton's team's collective ass because he'll be damned if he lets that dick-wad beat him. He doesn't give a shit if it's Ashton's senior year and that every win could seal the deal on his

potential full ride college scholarship, he just doesn't. Ashton hasn't really cared about him since that first day of football try-outs so why should Luke?

But when Luke steps on the field and he sees Ashton for the first time in over two years, he forgets all about that and all he can really focus on is how god damn gorgeous Ashton's gotten. Luke feels a little taken aback because all this time he's been thinking about how much he's changed and he completely forgot to remember that Ashton's most likely changed in that time too. And boy, he's changed a hell of a lot. His hair is shorter and curlier and his jawline is sharper and his body is more muscle-y and defined and he just looks so much stronger and so much so much older and more mature and Luke is feeling a little hot right now under all the padding. He's never really felt quite this physically affected by someone who's not even near him let alone touching him and it's making his head spin a little bit in a way that feels dangerous and wonderful at the same time. Every subtle flex of Ashton's arms sends a shiver down Luke's spine and he really has to try his hardest to focus on getting ready to play the game.

Luke's lucky that he and Ashton don't ever have to be on the field at the same time because he would definitely one hundred percent never be able to play the damn game because he'd be too busy staring. He's having a hard enough time as it is after they score a touchdown and kick the field goal, because now he's stuck on the sidelines waiting for the ball to change possession again and mostly just drooling over the way Ashton's new and improved manly body moves on the field. It's like every snap of the ball and every throw and every step Ashton takes is enticing and he's definitely come into his own in the time he's been away. He's so much more sure of himself than Luke remembers him being before, so much more confident in his quarterback position, and it's really something—Luke would even go as far to admit that Ashton's like the high school league Tom Brady, best of the best, and as much as he hates to admit it to himself, definitely better than Luke.

"Hem!" Luke snaps to attention when his familiar nickname is called, looking towards the left where Michael and Calum are standing by the water bottles and reluctantly getting up to go to them when Michael waves him over.

"What?" Luke wonders, ruffling his own sweat slicked hair with the hand that isn't holding his helmet.

Calum jerks his chin towards the field. "He's incredible, don't you think?"

Luke decides just nodding nonchalantly is his best bet because if he opens his mouth, he might reveal just how incredible he thinks Ashton is—and in what ways.

"I mean, he was good when we all played together, but now he's like.....literally amazing." Michael adds, reaching over to fix a stray piece of Calum's damp hair and Luke struggles not to gag at their boyfriend-y antics.

"No wonder he's getting a full ride to ANU next year." Calum points out and it all sort of makes Luke's blood boil and he remembers why he wanted so badly to kick Ashton's ass in this game.

Michael and Calum keep babbling about Ashton's greatness and like, yeah Luke was just thinking about it himself and he even said Ashton was like Tom Brady which is serious business, but he's sick of actually hearing it out loud and he hates that his own team is openly fawning over the opponent. "Well, who gives a shit? We're gonna beat them, and I'm gonna make sure of it."

They both sort of look stunned at his bluntness and the sudden fire in his eyes but they seem on board with it, of course, because winning games means going to play-offs and that's a big deal for the school and them as individual players. The play-offs are where Ashton was scouted and offered his scholarship, so it's an important thing to be involved in and Luke's teammates are all sort of counting on him to get them there in a way and he's not about to start letting them down.

\-------------------------------------------------

Luke has to admit he sort of chuckles a little every time their defensive line stops Ashton's offensive pushes, and he laughs especially hard when Ashton gets himself sacked not once but twice during the fourth quarter when his team is just barely holding onto the lead. He's probably definitely being a dick right now, but he's trying to ignore the fact that he wants to shove his tongue in Ashton's mouth, among other places, and it's helping to distract him so he's not feeling too guilty just yet. He'll most likely beat himself up about it later once he's home and off the field and he doesn't have to run plays in his head, but he'll cross that bridge when he gets there.

Luke's happy they have the home field advantage tonight because he knows exactly when possession switches to them without even having to look up and listen to the coaches and other players. The crowd goes ballistic and Luke knows it's do or die because there's only enough time for maybe two more plays if their good about it and they're down but less than a touchdown, so he secures his chin strap and hustles out with Michael and Calum on either side of him to switch lines with the defense. They're on their own thirty yard line to start and Luke makes quick work of handing the ball off and letting the wide receiver run it as far as he can get it just to advance their shot. They make it to the other team's forty yard line and Luke checks the clock and he has to call a huddle before they start because they don't have enough time to run the ball again.

"Alright, I'm gonna have to throw it long so Calum, you need to haul ass as far as you can and get ready because we only have a few seconds." Luke explains quickly, watching Calum nod but Michael looks distressed.

"You're gonna 'hail Mary' it?" He asks and the whole offensive line is looking at Luke for a lot more answers than Luke feels like he has.

Luke nods anyway. "We have to do this, Mike, we can't win by running the ball again like we always do. We have to take a shot at it. Calum's got the speed and I know he can get there and make the catch and I need you to block for him like your life depends on it."

Michael nods and he suddenly seems more confident in the plan, if only for the fact that he'll be the one keeping Calum safe, and the huddle breaks as they get in their ready positions on the line. Luke takes a huge breath before he calls for the ball, easily catching it from the center and watching Calum launch himself off the line. Michael follows him almost step for step, the two of them speeding down the field and Luke is struggling to find a clear shot to them so he does what Ashton taught him how to do almost four years ago and he starts jogging to the side, careful to stay behind the line of play, and he catches a small window that's a direct line right towards Calum. The brunette is just shy of the endzone with Michael in tow when he turns his head and sees Luke whip his arm around midstride and fire the ball clear down the field, the angle perfect for Calum to keep running into and he takes a leap, just a small one, catching the ball one-handed and quickly smacking his other hand over it. He's tackled nearly midair by a huge defensive lineman but his foot manages to hit the ground inside the endzone just before and his back hits the ground hard and his breath wheezes out but he holds tightly to the ball and it's ruled a touchdown.

Luke's mind is spinning as he listens to their team's fans roar in the bleachers, everyone absolutely stunned—Luke included—that he just made a forty yard pass into the endzone. Luke can see that even Ashton is on his feet on the sidelines, staring in disbelief that Luke just pulled off what's probably the most impressive play for a high school football player. Long passes are hardly ever done, most are only ten to twenty yards at most if they're not running the ball, and here's Luke having just successfully made the longest pass he's ever thrown and that anyone here has probably seen outside of professional football. He's so shocked he can't even move as he watches the rest of the team rush the field to celebrate, his eyes locked on Calum and Michael as they run at each other and jump into a hug. Luke is suddenly surrounded by him own team and the coaching staff but he can still see his best friends, smacking their helmets together once in excitement and then again but this time it looks more like they meant to kiss each other, somehow forgetting about the helmets and face guards, and they end up smashed together and Luke can see them get stuck like that from the force they were using and he's pretty positive that if they had actually kissed like that then someone would've broken a jaw.

"Hemmings, that was god damn incredible." The head coach says, clapping his hand against Luke's shoulder pads.

Luke can't even speak as he idly watches Calum and Michael take their helmets off, the face guards still stuck together even as they come off, and they stand there giggling with each other as they work on separating them. Luke finally finds his voice enough to thank everyone who is congratulating him and shaking his hands but what he really wants is to find Ashton and he's not exactly sure why, but he steps from the crowd around him and catches the boy sulking off towards the away team's locker room, just to the left of where Luke's team's locker room is and Luke knows he can't follow Ashton in there unless he wants to get jumped by an entire football team and now he's sulking. The high of his victory and his epic pass wears off fast as he trudges towards the locker room that's mostly empty, just a few other guys mulling around and hollering at Luke to tell him how awesome he is before they disappear out the door. He's left alone after a few minutes and he hadn't exactly realized how long he'd been standing out there on the field but apparently it had been long enough that his entire team is gone.

Luke yanks his helmet off of his sweaty head and shoves it in his locker, not willing to deal with lugging it home since he walked his ass to school for the game, and he's about to do the same with his shoulder pads when someone starts talking behind him.

"You didn't have to show off, you know."

Luke whips around so fast that he's dizzy trying to decide if Ashton's actually standing there in front of him, leaning against the wall that leads around to the showers and still fully in uniform besides his helmet and shoulder pads, which are sitting on the floor by his feet along with his bag. "I wasn't." Luke chokes out, years of static and radio silence between them making his throat close off at the foreign sensation.

Ashton snorts his disapproval at that statement. "Yeah right, hot shot. A high school sophomore throws a forty yard pass into the endzone and wins the game and now he's telling me he wasn't showing off? I don't buy it, I call bullshit. You were showing off, but the question is why?" Ashton wonders, squinting his eyes in a challenge as he pushes himself off the wall and starts making slow steps toward Luke. "Was there someone at the game that you were showing off for, Lu?"

The old nickname sends a shiver down Luke's spine as his cheeks heat up as Ashton smirks and moves closer and closer until he's within inches of Luke. "N-no."

Ashton growls quietly, his presence intimidating and strong as he closes the gap between himself and Luke and he forces the younger boy to back into the lockers with a soft clang. "I think you're lying." He mutters, his lips so close to Luke's ear that the blonde can feel Ashton's mouth moving when he speaks. "I saw you staring at me Luke, the whole fucking time. You don't fool me, hot shot, I know you pulled that stunt because you knew I was watching and you wanted to beat me at my own game."

Luke gulps down his bubbling nerves and he channels the courage to shove at Ashton's chest, pushing him just barely a step back but it does the trick all the same. "So what if I did do it to show off, huh? So what if I wanted you to know that I'm a kick ass quarterback too? It's not like you cared before, so what does it matter now? I won, you lost, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Luke's moment of confidence fizzles out quickly when Ashton's posture takes on an angrier vibe and his expression shifts and he's no longer challenging Luke—it looks more like he accepted a challenge that Luke hadn't realized he'd issued. Ashton is suddenly pressed right up against

Luke, zero space between them, and Luke's back is digging into the dial and handles of the lockers behind him through the small bit of padding covering his shoulder blades, the metal cold even to his covered skin and a stark contrast to Ashton's body heat.

"Nothing I can do about it, huh? I beg to differ, you insolent little bitch." Ashton's words bites into Luke's head and for a second he's positive Ashton's about to punch him in the face for the second time in their lives but instead he gets a first time something—a kiss, bruising in force and he's more than willing to take this kind of 'fight'.

Luke kisses Ashton back, letting the older boy lead and letting himself be manhandled and pinned to the lockers and he knows somewhere in the back of his mind that maybe he shouldn't be this pliant considering the way he'd been talking a minute ago, but he's been salivating at the thought of kissing Ashton all damn night and he's not going to take it for granted whether it's embarrassing or not. He lets Ashton's tongue roam around his mouth, lets Ashton's teeth nip at his bottom lip and make it bleed just one small drop of blood, and he lets his own hands move up and grab at Ashton's biceps to rub over the muscle there, to feel how much stronger Ashton is compared to the lanky and scrawny awkward boy he'd last seen. Ashton's reflexes are unbelievably fast as he reaches up and grabs Luke's hands, pushing them back and pinning them against the lockers above Luke's head, holding them there as he takes full control of Luke's mouth and his body. Luke gasps quietly at the force Ashton uses, his head tilting back and to the side when the older boy's lips make a wet and bruising trail down the side of Luke's neck until the shoulder pads and the jersey get in the way and force him to make his way back up.

Luke's breath crashes out of him shakily as Ashton sucks a mark that will last at least a few days, a clear sign of possession and Luke isn't going to argue that at all. "Ash...." Luke mutters, trailing off because it doesn't feel like he really needs to say more right now—or ever again, for that matter.

Ashton seems to understand, can probably feel the way Luke's body is trying desperate to draw Ashton in as close as he can possibly be, and he responds by sealing his mouth over Luke's again. This kiss is slower, more languid and it melts Luke's bones until everything is liquid and sloshing around inside him the ebb and flow of the ocean and Ashton is the moon, pulling everything in and pushing it away in a way that leaves Luke spiraling into him with no other choice. Luke is weak in Ashton's hands, powerless to resist and he doesn't want to anyway, he needs this more than wants it and he knows Ashton can sense that. Ashton knows what he's doing to Luke and when he pulls away from the kiss with Luke's bottom lip caught between his teeth, his expression is sheer control and absolute dominance over Luke's entire existence and it has Luke literally toppling to his knees. He lands with a dulled slap against the tile floor, Ashton's smirk menacing as he hooks his fingers under Luke's chin and tilts his head back so they meet eye to eye.

Ashton shakes his head and tsks at Luke teasingly. "If you wanted to suck my dick babe, all you had to do was ask."

Luke's breath punches out of him when Ashton starts yanking his own pants down just in the front, enough to let his semi-hard dick slap up against his jersey. "Oh my god." Luke whispers, unconsciously sitting up and moving forward with his mouth open wide, ready to suck Ashton in.

A sharp hand in his hair stops him just short of the head, yanking his head back and keeping his mouth away just enough that it makes him whine and look up at Ashton's taunting glare. "Let me fuck that pretty face, Lu."

Luke nods, his fingers digging into his own thighs as he lets his mouth drop open in a way that's completely familiar to him, something he's done many times before. Ashton moves forward slowly just in case Luke decides he doesn't want to do this, but then he's swallowing Ashton's dick down with ease and his cheeks are hollowing and it's clear that Luke wants to do this very much. So much, in fact, that he sinks his head down until he can't physically go any further and he gags roughly but he ignores it in favor of doing it again, eyes already watering.

"Jesus, Luke." Ashton huffs, losing his breath and his balance and a shred of his self-control all in the same second. "You've done this before, haven't you?" He wonders, looking into Luke's eyes as the younger boy idly sucks on his dick and nods. "So I don't have to take it easy on you, huh?" Luke shakes his head and swirls his tongue around the tip of Ashton's dick before sinking back down as far as he can take it. "Good." Ashton smirks, nudging Luke backwards the few inches until the back of his head gently hits the lockers.

Luke only has a split second to breath before Ashton's hips are tilting back and pushing forward, slowly at first until Luke looks up and practically begs Ashton to go faster. The older boy is happy to oblige, using both of his hands to grab at Luke's hair and use it as leverage to fuck the blonde's mouth faster. Luke goes pliant and his throat relaxes to let Ashton in and out easier and Ashton takes the bait, losing himself in the heat of Luke's mouth and tossing his head back in pleasure as Luke does his best to hollow his cheeks and suck like a good boy. His pretty eyes are watering and his cheeks are wet and he's drooling just a little bit down his chin and he's choking on Ashton but the look in his eyes is euphoric, enjoying the roughness in the way Ashton's hips are fucking into his face.

Ashton abruptly yanks himself back, leaving Luke dizzy as he coughs and gasps in air, one hand leaving Luke's hair to grab at his own dick and run his hand over the spit-slicked skin. "Tongue out." Ashton commands breathlessly, waiting for Luke to obey before he slaps his dick against Luke's tongue a few times, watching the younger boy jump in surprise and whimper loudly. "Stand up."

Luke bites his lip when Ashton backs away and he stands up on shaky legs, the shoulder pads weighing him down and knocking him a little off balance. Ashton seems to notice and he takes

pity on Luke, reaching out to yank at the jersey until it comes off and then quickly undoing the shoulder pads and tossing them to the floor carelessly, smirking at he shoves Luke's jersey back over his head, kissing the younger boy's lips shortly. The older boy's hands find purchase on Luke's hips and forcibly maneuver him around until he pressed face first into the lockers, Luke's cheek resting on the cold metal as Ashton's hand holds his head there.

"Stick your ass out." Ashton requests, mumbling the words right in Luke's ear and smiling in satisfaction when Luke moves his lower body backwards a little bit and arches up, putting his ass on display for Ashton.

Ashton's hand runs down Luke's back, smoothing over the tight material of Luke's uniform pants, groaning at how sinfully big and thick it is, even against his own huge hands. He's a bit lost in his own world staring at Luke's body until he remembers they have limited time and he's supposed to be teaching Luke a lesson so he focus back in and he takes his hand away from Luke's ass, instead swatting it down roughly and relishing in the way it makes Luke squeak so loudly that it echoes around the empty locker room.

"Think you can show me up, huh? Prove you're better?" Ashton asks, not looking for an answer as he slaps Luke's ass a few more times in quick succession. "Show me who's boss?" Luke looks like he knows exactly what he's doing when he nods his head 'yes', prompting Ashton to smack to him again, over and over harshly until Luke is whining and trying to squirm away from the pain. "Well, I don't think so. I think it's pretty clear who the boss is right now and it sure as hell isn't you, babe." Ashton moves away from Luke's side and he stands behind the younger boy, reaching for the hem of his pants and tugging them down until Luke's spread thighs stop him. "Close your legs, slut."

Luke giggles and bites at his lip, looking back over his shoulder at Ashton with a flirty smile on his face as he slides his feet together and lets Ashton pull his pants a little further down but not fully off. The older boy chuckles to himself at how red Luke's ass is as he puts his hands on each crimson cheek and pulls them apart, listening to Luke gasp quietly at the cold air against his rim.

"God I wanna fuck you right now." Ashton groans, slapping at Luke's ass again just because his hand practically begs him to.

"My bag." Luke whimpers, trying to properly look at Ashton while the older boy is holding him in place.

Ashton tears his gaze away from the sinful sight of Luke's ass and he looks up with furrowed brows. "What?"

Luke's face heats up, unbelievably, like saying this is more exposing than having his pants around his thighs and Ashton looking at his hole. "I h-have lube.....in my bag."

Ashton lets go of Luke's ass and scoots back, keeping his eyes locked on Luke's as he reaches to his left to grab Luke's bag and drag it over to him, unzipping the side pouch and shoving his

hand inside. It doesn't take long for his fingers to graze over a plastic bottle, his hand closing around it as an incredulous smirk speaks over his face.

Ashton pulls the bottle from the bag and shakes his head, looking up at Luke through his lashes. "Oh my god." He snorts, holding back a laugh as he stands up and leans over Luke's back, reaching down and rubbing his dry fingers between Luke's cheeks as the younger boy's knees threaten to buckle. "Who would've thought that innocent little Lukey would turn out to be such a slut? Carrying lube around in the locker room in case someone decides they want a piece of that ass, huh? Then again, I suppose you always were so eager to learn and please everyone else. Even way back then."

Luke can't help the startled giggle that escapes his lips as Ashton's fingers come back but this time they're wet and a little cold, rubbing at his hole to get it slicked up enough to allow one of Ashton's long fingers to dip in slowly. Luke takes the intrusion easily, wiggling his hips to let Ashton know he doesn't have to wait to move since his voice seems to have gotten lost somewhere between his throat and his mouth. Ashton isn't so sure at first but he listens to Luke anyway, knowing they don't have much more time for formalities before the janitors come in to clean up, moving his finger in and out quickly a few times before adding a second. Luke moans softly, his sweaty palms sticking to the metal of the locker as his nails just barely scrape against it when Ashton starts scissoring his fingers and fucking them in hard and fast to open Luke up as quickly as he can.

"You ever been fucked before, Lu?" Ashton wonders, his voice taunting but he sounds genuinely curious.

Luke's jaw goes lax and his breath huffs out when Ashton pushes in a third finger. "Y-yes."

Ashton hums as Luke's body starts reacting impatiently to his efforts, ass pushing back onto his fingers and eyes squeezing shut when the pleasure tickles at the base of his spine, making Ashton scoff. "Well whoever he was, he must not have been good if you're still this horny." Luke's teeth gnaw at his lip as he tries to physically bite back his smile when Ashton's fingers slide out and the wet tip of his dick pokes lewdly at him. "We can fix that."

A groan rips from Luke's throat as Ashton carefully pushes into him. "Slow, slow." Luke gasps, moving his hand behind himself to rest on Ashton's thigh to emphasize his request. "S'been a while and h-he....." Luke trails off as Ashton pushes in just a little bit more, enough to steal his breath and make his fingers dig into Ashton's thigh.

"He what?"

Luke smacks his forehead gently against the lockers as Ashton manages to get the rest of the way in. "Oh shit......"

"He what, Luke?" Ashton asks more firmly, keeping himself still because he doesn't want to hurt Luke.

"He wasn't.....this big." Luke admits, breath stuttering unsurely out of him like his lungs can't decide if they really want to keep working or not.

Ashton lets the shot of confidence run through him like a drug and it's intoxicating the way Luke's cute little ass is struggling to accommodate him and the way Luke is still squeezing his thigh tightly to keep himself from falling over on his own wobbly legs. He chooses not to say anything, mostly because he's not a complete cocky asswipe, but he thinks a lot about how Luke is breathing like he's never felt real oxygen in his body before now. Ashton sits still and kisses the back of Luke's neck softly, waiting for Luke's muscles to relax enough so that he can move like his own body is begging him to. A few minutes pass by and Luke is still breathing deeply and gripping Ashton's thigh but the older boy can hear the janitor's vacuum farther down the hallway outside the locker room and he knows that it's only a matter of time before he comes in to clean.

"Lu, I don't wanna hurt you but we don't have a lot of time here." Ashton breathes against Luke's skin, creating a slightly damp and warm spot that gives the younger boy goosebumps.

Luke nods and bites his lip hard. "Okay, okay move, go."

Ashton nods back even though Luke's eyes are closed, carefully tilting his hips backwards and pushing forward shallowly, still trying to give Luke time to get used to it. The sound of the vacuum is coming closer so Ashton speeds himself up, his rhythm not quite harsh yet but fast enough that Luke's body is bouncing and the sound of Ashton's hips smacking against Luke's ass is loud.

"Jesus you're so god damn tight, Luke." Ashton groans, slapping the side of Luke's peachy ass roughly before gripping Luke's hips tightly and yanking the younger boy's body back to meet his thrusts.

Luke moans as the slight sting melts into pleasure and his whole body feels like it's running on a high as Ashton's hands travel up his body and under his shirt, the older boy's hips relentless as he pounds Luke into the lockers hard and fast, spurred on by Luke's hot little moans and the sound of the vacuum that's maybe only twenty feet from the door of the locker room. "Holy shit, Ash."

Ashton responds with a breathless groan, his fingers finding Luke's nipples and pinching down on them, the pain making Luke's hole flutter and loosen around Ashton. "God, you absolute whore." He breathes, fucking into Luke as fast as he can as his animal instinct takes over, watching the way Luke's body reacts to his words and smirking, knowing it's his best chance to get Luke to come as quickly as possible. "Letting me fuck you, teach you a lesson, yeah? Teach you not to mess with me, slut?"

"Fuck yes, Ashton." Luke moans, probably just a little too loudly.

Ashton slaps a hand over Luke's mouth to shut him up, smiling to himself when he feels Luke clench down on him in response. "Come for me, slut, be the good obedient little boy you are. Do it baby, come on, you wanted so badly to show off in front of me so let's see it."

Luke's moan tears out of his throat and pushes against Ashton's hand, legs trembling as Ashton practically force-fucks his orgasm right out of him. It hits him like a wave, the pleasure overwhelming and it's unlike anything that Luke's ever felt before, intense and dizzying and it punches the air right out of him as he stains the locker in front of him—happy that Ashton pushed his shirt up otherwise that would've been stained too. Ashton keeps murmuring encouragement in Luke's ear, fucking him through it as he feels his own high approaching faster than the janitor just a few feet outside the door.

"Turn around and get on your knees, hurry." Ashton breathes, gently pulling out of Luke and quickly jerking himself off as Luke spins on shaky legs and drops down, his cheeks rosy and his eyes glassy as he blinks up at Ashton. The older boy threads a hand through the longer hair at the front of Luke's head and pulling so that he tilts back further, Ashton's dick hovering right over his face. "Stay still."

Luke wouldn't dream of disobeying, opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out with a whimper as Ashton's breath catches and his hand movement stutters and he comes with a low groan. Luke shuts his eyes and tries his best to catch as much of Ashton in his mouth as he can, humming each time some lands on his tongue or near enough to his lips that he can lick it up. Some of it manages to land higher up on his face and it makes him giggle as Ashton finally comes down from his high, releasing Luke's hair and taking a deep breath but the bliss is short lived as keys jingle just outside the door to their right. Luke's eyes blow wide and he scrambles to get his pants back up and grab all of his stuff, nearly slamming into Ashton at least four times within a single minute as they both hurry to get out of the back entrance. They're barely at the door when the janitor gets the main entrance open and pushing his way inside, paying no mind to anything besides dragging his trusty vacuum and the rest of his cleaning supplies into the room. Ashton and Luke freeze for just a second, afraid that they've been caught, until Ashton drags Luke by the arm and gets him out of the room and outside just in time. The door shut and Luke is suddenly a mess of giggles as he wipes at the come still sticking to the skin on his cheek and even his forehead, eliciting a chuckle out of Ashton.

"That was close." Luke mumbles, his face still a little bit flushed from the sex and he can feel the dull ache of a good fuck in his lower back and it makes him smile.

Ashton hums absentmindedly, wiping away some stray come that Luke missed. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

Luke nods follows Ashton out to the empty parking lot, only the older boy's beat up and used car sitting there, getting into the passenger's seat as an awkward air of unsureness settles over them both. Ashton drives the familiar roads, winding his way towards Luke's house with a weird nostalgia dangling right in front of him and the silence in the car making his ears ring. They pull

up against the curb outside Luke's home, Ashton's old one just a few feet away, and neither of them moves even though it's pushing ten o'clock and Luke's parents are sure to be worried that he's not home yet. Luke wants to say something but he doesn't know what to say; he's not entirely familiar with the etiquette in regards to slightly public sex with a guy who used to be your best friend and more or less fucked the hell out of you because you beat him at football.

He's at a loss and he's about to just abruptly get out of the car without a single word when Ashton breaks the tension. "I'm sorry."

That, Luke was not expecting. "For what?"

"Being an asshole to you when you didn't deserve it. And I don't just mean tonight." Ashton explains, looking over at Luke's surprised expression. "You're an incredible football player and an even more incredible person and you didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you when we were kids and tonight......tonight I got so angry, for no reason, when you threw that pass and I saw you look at me after Calum made the catch and it just.....it made me wanna get back at you and that's not right."

Luke blink, completely dumbfounded. "Ashton, I just had the best sex of my life and you're apologizing because you wanted to hate fuck me?" Ashton looks a little stunned but there's a hint of happiness beneath it as he nods at Luke. "Get over yourself, Superman, I don't need my virtue protected. It was fun, Ash. And I'd do it again."

Ashton lets out a startled laugh and shakes his head in disbelief as Luke reaches for one of the many stray pens in Ashton's cup holders, grabbing Ashton's hand and writing down his phone number on the back of it. "What's that for?"

"In case you ever get angry again and you need to take it out on someone." Luke winks, gathering his stuff and pushing the car door open as Ashton chuckles. "And for the record," Luke starts, leaning over to kiss Ashton's lips softly, "you went way too easy on me. I expected more from you, Irwin."

Ashton scoffs, his jaw locking on a bitter smile as Luke gets out of the car and shuts the door. Ashton rolls the window down just enough to yell out as Luke walks towards his house. "You're gonna pay for that, Hemmings!"

Luke turns around and walks backwards as he looks at Ashton, adjusting his heavy bag so it doesn't slide off of his shoulders as he smirks. "Looking forward to it."

\-----------------------------------------------------

In the few weeks that follow, Luke finds himself with his legs around Ashton's waist and his back against the bed more often than not. Ashton comes over on the nights when they've both had a hard day or a hard week and he lets his frustrations out on Luke behind a locked bedroom door with mouths clamped shut to keep the pleasure inside the too-thin walls. Each night feels more intoxicating than the last, and Ashton has most certainly taken Luke up on the challenge

of going "too easy" the first time. He doesn't hold back, everything about it is rough and addicting and pleasure that's so worth the pain to Luke. And their parents are none the wiser, which makes Luke laugh in a messed up sort of fashion because Liz and Andy are just happy to see the two boys together and "getting along" again. They're happy that everything is rainbows and sunshine and butterflies but if only they knew. Luke is damn positive his parents would both stroke out and collapse if they knew that behind his bedroom door it was bruising hands and rough touches and fast fucking and that it's so beyond "getting along".

Luke's whole body visibly shivers when he gets a text from Ashton on Friday, just a simple "coming over tonight, make sure you're clean". Luke has no idea why but he's not going to argue or refute Ashton's wishes, he just jumped in the shower and scrubs down every single part of his body and even goes as far as to clean himself inside too just to be safe since Ashton's become quite unpredictable lately and he doesn't know what tonight will have in store for him. He's glad that his parents are going out tonight, glad that Ben and Jack no longer live at home, because it means he doesn't have to practically choke himself—no matter how much he enjoys it—to stifle his moans and Ashton can say whatever he wants without fear of being heard. He texts Ashton as much after he gets out of the shower, receiving just a short "good :)" in response.

"We're leaving honey!" Liz calls from the bottom of the stairs, watching Luke pop his wet head around the corner and smile at her. "We'll probably be back late so don't wait up."

Luke nods and waves as Andy opens the door and ushers Liz out. "Have fun!"

The door shuts and the house is left in a suspenseful silence as Luke quickly makes his way back to his bedroom, drying his body meticulously with the towel before rubbing at his hair to get some of the water out so it isn't dripping all over the place. He tosses the towel to the side and opens the top drawer of his dresser, reaching for a fresh pair of boxers to put on for the time being so he's not just prancing around with his dick out.

"You won't be needing those."

Luke jumps out of his skin at the sound of Ashton's voice, the boxers he'd been holding dropping back into the drawer in a messy clump as he slaps a hand over his pounding heart and stares accusingly at Ashton. "Jesus Christ Ashton, don't scare me like that."

"Sorry." Ashton mutters, trying not to laugh as Luke pushes the drawer shut and calms down. "Get on your back for me."

No matter how many times Luke's heard that sentence in the past few weeks, it still makes his knees wobble and he can never seem to obey fast enough for his own liking. He quickly gets on the bed and watches as Ashton shuts the bedroom door and starts undressing himself, kicking his shoes off before his loose t-shirt and tight pants quickly hit the floor. Luke doesn't even try to stifle the groan that he lets out at the sight of Ashton's sculpted body, every ridge of muscle like a piece of art that Luke could never get tired of appreciating.

"I'll have you know, this week has been the worst week of my god damn life." Ashton sighs, an obvious tension settling in his posture as he rubs his hand over his own dick through the thin material of his boxers, racking his eyes over Luke's bare skin. "I'm so pissed off, it's unreal."

"What happened?" Luke asks and even though he really just wants to get to the part where Ashton fucks him into oblivion, he can tell that Ashton's genuinely angry this time and it's not just idle agitation at the fact that someone dropped a ball two yards from the endzone or something.

Ashton growls under his breath, still rubbing at himself as he scoffs. "Everyone seems to think they get to control my life and my decisions and my future just because they don't understand why I want what I want. Everyone apparently knows better than I do when it comes to me. And I'm fucking sick of getting chewed out for making my own decisions and being made to feel like I'm not allowed to have control. So I came here, where I'm always in control." Ashton's voice drops to a deep rumble, one that makes Luke's legs shake against the cotton sheets as the older boy comes closer and hovers over Luke from the side of the bed. "Isn't that right, baby?"

Luke doesn't even hesitate to nod in confirmation. "Yes."

"Good boy." Ashton purrs, kneeing his way onto the bed next to Luke's legs. "Spread 'em for me." Luke's thighs part easily, his breath hitching a little when Ashton immediately situates himself between them, lying on his stomach with his face dangerously close to Luke's dick. "You smell so good, Lu." He comments, running his nose over a smooth patch of skin on Luke's lower stomach, just above the head of his dick. "So soft, baby, it makes me wanna rough you up so much. Leave you screaming for more, for me." Ashton's lips tease at Luke's quickly hardening dick, kissing it gently down the length of it before grabbing Luke's thighs and pushing them around until each leg is hooked over Ashton's shoulders, his breath fanning out over Luke's rim and making it flutter with need. "God, you make me wanna eat you up, Luke."

Luke's fists are clenched tightly in the sheets beneath him as Ashton's hands rest on the backs of his thighs and push them up towards his chest. His eyes slip shut when Ashton's tongue licks softly at the underside of his dick a few times, just tasting him, and he knows the gentleness won't last very long but he's soaking it up while he can. Ashton's tongue keeps traveling downward and Luke is left in suspense, waiting for him to stop each time but he doesn't, not until he gets to Luke's rim and his tongue licks long and slow right over it.

"Holy shit." Luke gasps, his back arching up and his mouth dropping open and his thighs threatening to close at the completely new sensation.

No one has ever done this to Luke before and he's confident that the pleasure he feels right now is going to spoil him so much that nothing else will feel quite this good. Ashton is absolutely devouring him, not just licking at him softly but sucking and kissing exactly like he does when he's making out with Luke and it has every single muscle in Luke's body quivering. Luke is so fucking glad that his family isn't here because there's no way he could keep quiet like this, no way to stop the whines and moans dripping from his bitten lips as Ashton quite literally eats him out. Ashton's hands can't seem to sit still on Luke's body, rubbing over his lower stomach and his thighs and ghosting over his dick and back again and it feels hypnotic compared to the intense sensations coming from the older boy's tongue. Luke hands reach down and grab for Ashton's short curls, threading through them and tugging with a whimper as Ashton's tongue pushes into him.

"Fuck....feels so good, Ash." His voice is whiny, his body wiggling and grinding down onto Ashton's tongue, his back arched up high off the mattress.

Ashton moves his own hands up and pulls Luke's from his hair, pinning them to the mattress at Luke's sides and backing away with a devious look on his face. "I'm in control, baby, not you."

Luke furrows his eyebrows breathlessly, watching Ashton stand up off the bed and move over to Luke's closet. "What? What are you doing?"

"Hush." Ashton calls, rummaging around in Luke's closet until he finds two belts, pulling them out and carrying them back over to the bed and a confused Luke. "Put your hands up above your head."

Luke's breath is shaky and he's got a pretty good idea of where this is headed but it still makes his heart stop when Ashton grabs one of his wrists and loops the belt around it, dragging it back until he can get the belt around one of the slats on the headboard. He secures it tightly and does the same with the other wrist, completely binding him to the headboard and rendering him helpless.

"Ashton, what-"

"I told you, I. Am in. Control." Ashton growls, smacking the inside of Luke's left thigh hard enough that he actually winces himself at the immediate handprint he leaves behind. "And this is your punishment for trying to take more than I decided to give you."

Luke tries to subtly pull at the belts around him, just wondering if they'll give but they don't and he's really stuck like this and subject to whatever Ashton should decide to do. Luke understands the need for control, he gets it, and he knows how badly Ashton's been floundering for it in his personal life and he hasn't been able to get it anywhere else but with Luke and Luke is fully willing to let him have it. The older boy straddles one of Luke's legs, sitting up on his knees and pulling his boxers down to rest just under his ass before settling back down and resting his weight mostly on his own heels and Luke's lower thigh. Ashton's right hand immediately goes for his own dick, teasing at the head as his other hand soothes over Luke's torso and pinches at his nipples harshly, making Luke gasp and try to squirm away. Ashton releases his hold and moves down to the head of Luke's dick, rubbing his thumb around the head and pressing it against the slit just to hear Luke moan.

"Ash, please....I need you." Luke pleads, his head knocking back against the headboard as the short-lived pleasure ends abruptly.

Ashton pouts but Luke can see that it's condescending more than sympathetic. "That's too bad, baby, because you're not gonna get me."

Luke's eyes blow open wide and he looks at Ashton incredulously as the older boy smirks and starts jerking himself off quickly, clearly aiming to get himself off as fast as possible and Luke immediately starts begging. "No, no, no, Ashton please don't do that. Stop please, lemme do it, Ash." Luke is actively pulling at the belts now, trying to reach over with one hand and undo the restraint but he can't quite get there and he can't bring himself to look away from the incredible view of Ashton touching himself in order to help his hand get to the belt. "Ash, come on, please just let me go, I'll be good."

Ashton chuckles at Luke's desperation, refusing to give in and instead leaning up over Luke's body and using his free hand to slap the younger boy's face somewhat gently, just enough to sting and turn his head with the force. Luke hisses but it's quickly cut off by Ashton's hand around his throat, squeezing at the sides while his other hand never stops tugging at his own dick, his forehead pressed against Luke's as he looks directly into the blonde's eyes. "You told me you'd be good earlier too, and look where you are now, slut."

Luke's eyes flick down to where Ashton's hand is moving rapidly around himself, the air just barely entering and leaving his body with the pressure around it. "Please....don't come."

Ashton finally releases Luke's throat, letting him breathe properly as he sits back just enough that Luke has a better view of the show. "Why shouldn't I, huh? Why shouldn't I come all over you and just leave you like this until your parents come back and find their precious little Lukey naked and tied to the bed with some guy's jizz on him?"

Luke knows that if he doesn't talk Ashton down the scenario actually will play out exactly the way Ashton wants it to, so he does his best to bargain with the older boy as calmly as he can, his eyes now glued to Ashton's. "Because you love fucking me too much. You love hearing me scream for you and tell you that I'm your slut because you fuck me so well. You love smacking my ass and holding me down and I think you'll be angry at yourself if you don't fuck your frustrations out on me right now."

Ashton's teeth gnaw at his bottom lip and he looks angry already as he shakily takes his hand away from his own dick and smacks it hard against Luke's inner thigh twice. "I hate when you're right."

Tears prick at Luke's eyes from the pain of the hits but he relishes in it, knowing there'll be bruises and soreness there for at least a few days after this as Ashton reaches up and makes quick work of getting the belts off of Luke. Luke lets his hands fall to his sides as Ashton leans up and latches his mouth onto the younger boy's, kissing him with dizzying force and hot swipes of his tongue, working to maneuver Luke's body around without breaking apart. When it

becomes impossible not to separate, Ashton reluctantly moves back and flips Luke properly onto his stomach, reaching over to Luke's bedside table to yanking the top drawer open to get the lube he knows is waiting there. He tugs it out and smacks the drawer shut, shifting himself around and drizzling the lube over his fingers, using his clean hand to pull at Luke's ass and spread it open so he can get his fingers between the cheeks. Luke breathes out a long puff of air to relax himself, know that he and Ashton have worked up a routine for this part of their nights together and that two fingers are going in straight away unless Ashton feels like teasing him.

Two of Ashton's long fingers push inside of Luke's willing body slowly but once they're in he makes quick work of opening Luke up, scissoring his fingers expertly until he can easily slide in a third and repeat the same steps. It feels methodic and familiar to do and Luke is ready in just a few minutes, arching his ass up to try to chase Ashton's fingers when they start to pull out. Ashton's hand delivers firms slaps against the tender skin of Luke's ass, watching the way his force makes the skin bounce and go red just the way he likes. Ashton slicks himself up quickly, growing impatient as he sits up higher on his knees and guides himself into Luke's willing ass. Luke bites down on his lip and hums, spreading his legs a little wider to give Ashton more room as the older boy sinks in all the way in one slow push. Luke keeps himself arched up, his torso pressed firmly into the mattress as Ashton shifts his weight forward and grabs for Luke's arms where they're bent by the blonde's head.

Luke gives easily as Ashton pulls his arms backwards and bends them at the elbow, pushing them against the middle of Luke's back and holding them both there tightly. Ashton uses his grip as leverage as his hips tilt back and forth, pulling Luke's body onto him as he picks up more speed and his thrusts become harsh quickly. Luke is already a mess, puddling into moans and breathless whines that fill the room along with the sound of Ashton's hips slapping into his bruising ass. Luke can feel Ashton's frustration in every fast and hard push, the older boy using all of his strength and energy to hold Luke down and fuck him. Luke's arms are starting to ache but he loves the feeling, knows that it will linger even after Ashton's gone and the thought makes him smile into the loud groan that drops from his swollen lips.

"You love this, don't you?" Ashton asks breathlessly, yanking Luke's body back hard and pushing his hips forward with equal force and listening to Luke's hot little sounds. "You love when it hurts, when you can feel it afterwards, when you can feel it every time you move, don't you? Tell me, slut, don't you?"

Luke can hardly breathe, the pleasure overriding all of his senses and all he can feel is Ashton everywhere. Every thrust drives him into the mattress and he can feel the screams building up in his throat, threatening to escape as Ashton fucks every little shred of anger he has out of his system, holding both of Luke's arms in place with one hand and using the other to smack against any piece of skin he can reach that isn't red enough yet.

"Answer me, Luke." The older boy growls, swatting his hand down at Luke's ass and leaving a perfect outline of his hand right on the top of it.

Luke shrieks, tears of pleasure-pain stinging at his eyes as he struggles to get the words out when he's so close to coming. "Yeah.....love it." He whimpers, the words breaking in random spots.

"Don't come unless you ask me, slut. Don't you fucking dare." Ashton barks, feeling Luke clench sporadically around him in response, his moans turning whiny.

"Ash....please, I need to come. Can I come please?" Luke sobs, his body tensing up as he tries to hold himself off as Ashton keeps fucking him hard and fast.

Ashton's chuckle is taunting. "You need to come for me, huh? Need to show me how good I make you feel when I;'m hurting you?" Luke pants heavily as he nods against the pillow, every ache in his body amplifying in response to Ashton reminding him that they're there. "Come then, slut."

Luke locks up, every part of him tensing and clenching and even his throat closes and he practically stops breathing as he comes all over his sheets and his own stomach. His whole body quakes against Ashton's as the older boy fucks him through it, aiming to milk every drop of pleasure from Luke.

"Breathe, Luke, relax." Ashton mumbles, slowing down as Luke's high stops and Ashton himself can feel his own coming on fast.

Luke is still shaking and dangerously red in the face when he finally coughs and gasps and chokes in oxygen again. He doesn't stop shaking and pants even when Ashton pulls out of him and lets go of his arms, the older boy jerking himself off over Luke's ass until he comes with a low groan on top of Luke's red skin. Ashton works himself through it, breathing heavily as he braces himself with a hand on the bed and leans over Luke's back to kiss the sweaty hair on the back of his head. He leaves a trail of kisses down Luke's back, all the way down until he reaches the tip of one of the finger marks he left behind, kissing it softly before sitting up and getting off the bed. Ashton fixes his boxers so they sit properly on his body as he hurries to the bathroom and rummages around in the cabinets for a washcloth and the aloe lotion he knows is hiding around there somewhere. He runs the warm water in the sink and wet the cloth, wringing it out before bringing it back to Luke's room with him. Luke hasn't moved a single inch on the bed, still exactly how Ashton left him and it makes Ashton chuckle quietly.

"You look dead." He mutters, watching Luke's eyes flutter as he starts cleaning off the skin on Luke's ass and stomach and Luke just nods which makes Ashton laugh again. "You're still shaking too, baby."

Luke nods again because his legs are still trembling and they tremble a little harder when Ashton's hands move down and rub lotion over his abused ass, pressing gently against the marks and bruises and making Luke whine softly. "Hurts."

"I know, it looks like it does. My whole hand is outlined on you." Ashton explains, just barely ghosting his fingers over what he's sure is a very sensitive spot.

Luke whimpers at the feeling. "I can feel it." And he can, he can feel where each finger has left its mark, like sunburn but bruised, and he kind of hates to admit that he likes it.

Ashton finishes soothing the skin with the aloe lotion and he carefully turns Luke over onto his side, trying to clean the stain Luke made off of the sheets and he gets most of it up, enough that Luke can still lay on the bed without getting dirty again. "There you go, Lu."

Luke turns back onto his stomach and sighs, letting Ashton kiss down his back some more and he's scared to think about how much he wants the older boy to stay. He certainly too scared to ask him to stay, because this thing that they have isn't meant to induce feelings and it wasn't built as a pathway to loving each other, it was purely supposed to be a fun way to vent their frustrations and get their rocks off but here Luke is. Dumb little Lukey fawning over someone who used to be his best friend in the world and then wasn't and is now his fuck buddy and nothing more. He feels like a chick flick, some weird friends-with-benefits textbook scenario that everyone can predict happening but they're still addicted to watching and getting themselves into it. He's playing the role of the sentimental girl who says "no strings attached" but is always the first to want the strings and always gets their heartbroken somehow and ends up crying in the rain by themselves. As fate would have it, a light rain actually starts sputtering against his window, and Ashton starts putting his clothes on.

\----------------------------------------------------

Luke has been pushing his dumb feelings down for months now. Months of Ashton coming over every weekend and fucking his brains out and marking him up and leaving him with promises to be back when the next thing pisses him off and warrants a need for release that Luke is always more than happy to give. Luke knows it's probably not smart, but he'll take what he can get until he isn't allowed to have it anymore. It seems that Ashton might already be getting tired of this arrangement because he hasn't texted Luke in almost three weeks, hasn't been over to do or say anything to him and of course Luke is wallowing and blaming himself entirely for whatever it is. It's what brings him here, lying on his bed in the dark and staring at the ceiling but not really seeing it. He's zoned out completely, his cheeks stained with the memories of tears and his head swirling with self-deprecating thoughts. His bedroom door creaks open and it creates wide stream of orange-y light coming in from the hallway, the edge of the odd rectangle just barely touching him and making him visible from his curled up position.

"Go away please, I'm trying to sleep." He mutters, not even bothering to look over at whoever it is. His voice sounds a little lifeless even to him and he hates lying to his parents because he knows he'll never be able to sleep even if he was actually trying currently, but if they think he's just tired then they might leave him alone.

"Well, it's only seven-thirty and I'm not going away."

It's Ashton, his quiet tone making Luke sit up stock straight in surprise, nearing knocking himself out on the headboard. "Ash....what are you doing here?"

Ashton steps fully into the room and shuts the door behind himself, shrouding them both in darkness but the path to Luke's bed is so familiar by now that Ashton's doesn't need to see to know where he's going, sitting himself down on the edge of the bed. "I came to see you. Your mom called me and said you'd been acting weird and depressed lately and she wanted to know if I knew anything."

"She called you?" Luke squawks, his cheeks heating with embarrassment as he makes a mental note to disown his mother as soon as possible when Ashton nods in confirmation.

Ashton's knuckles brush against Luke's face as the younger boy resumes his balled up position on the bed and Ashton vision fully adjusts to the lack of light. "Have you been crying?" He wonders, watching Luke glare at him and he can just barely see the slight shine of tear tracks that confirms his suspicion. "What's going on, Lu?"

"Nothing, Ashton, it's stupid." Luke mumbles, shaking his head and closing his eyes so he doesn't have to see that pity look on Ashton's face.

"Luke, it's obviously nothing or stupid if you're upset enough to cry about it." Ashton sighs, shifting around until he's sat cross-legged on the bed next to Luke. "Talk to me, Lu, what's wrong?"

Luke shakes his head again. "Maybe I'm just stupid then." He muses and Ashton opens his mouth to very adamantly disagree but Luke starts talking again. "Just a stupid seventeen year old idiot with too many god damn feelings for a guy who's about to go off to college and probably meet a fuck ton of people who are so much cooler and older and smarter and actually know what it's supposed to be when you're just messing around with someone." He babbles, the words bubbling up and spilling out without him really telling them to and now he's crying again, not fully but a few tears manages to escape and streak across his face.

"Oh, Lu....." Ashton whispers, falling onto his side and wrapping his arms around Luke's shoulders, pulling him closer until his face is buried in Ashton's chest. Ashton stays quiet for a moment, letting Luke ball his fists into the thin material of Ashton's t-shirt and hold on tight as he calms himself down. "Luke, why didn't you tell me that you were starting to feel differently about what we were doing?"

"How was I supposed to say that to you, Ashton? You seemed so against anything real with me and you always left right after you were done and I-"

"I didn't know you wanted me to stay. I thought you wanted me to leave because you never said....." Ashton trails off, sighing loudly as his fingers card through Luke's hair. "I guess we've both been wrong."

"What do you mean?" Luke sniffles, his lashes fluttering against Ashton's neck.

"We both assumed that the other didn't want more out of what we were doing, Luke." Ashton explains, nuzzling his nose into Luke's hair.

Luke moves his head back and looks into Ashton's eyes, blinking away the wetness and replacing it with confusion. "You wanted more?"

"Want, Luke. Want more. Present tense." Ashton corrects, smiling when Luke's breathing stutters.

A whimper rips from Luke's throat and he presses his lips to Ashton's in short desperate spurts and Ashton matches him blow for blow, holding tightly to Luke's waist and letting the younger boy climb all over him in an effort to get closer. Luke's tongue pushes it's way into Ashton's mouth and he feels like a starved animal tasting food for the first time, total deprivation giving way to indulgence until his mind catches up with what's happening and Luke sits back just a little bit, breathing against the older boy's mouth as he tries to think.

"Wait, Ashton, wait." Luke requests, biting his lip because he's not happy about what he's about to say. "I don't wanna say this, but we can't do this now."

"Why not? What's wrong with now?"

Luke bites at his lip again and he wants to cry, like really cry hard. "Ash, you're leaving for college in a month and a half. You'll be living four hours away from me with a bunch of older guys and girls and you don't need some kid back waiting for you back home. You shouldn't have to be worrying about me or limiting yourself the whole time you're away Ashton, that's not fair."

"So, you don't want to be with me just because I'll be at school?" Ashton clarifies, his eyebrows furrowing as he pushes away from Luke, his heart cracking in his chest.

"I just, I don't see how that could work, Ash. You'll be so far away all the time and I can't come to see you and you can't drive back here every weekend I mean, what kind of relationship would that be Ashton? It sounds miserable."

"That's bullshit, Luke." Ashton scoffs, getting completely off the bed and switching the bedside lamp on so he can properly see the younger boy. "We would make it work and you know that."

Luke is already shaking his head before Ashton finishes his sentence, hating the way he can actually see Ashton's heart shattering through his shirt. "Maybe we could, Ashton, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be incredibly difficult. I'd miss you like crazy as just my friend but if you were my boyfriend Ash, I'd be a fucking head case waiting around for you all the time. I mean, look at what happened tonight. You stopped coming over for three weeks and I broke down so hard that my fucking mom called you to find out what was wrong. I can't do that for an entire school year, Ashton, and I don't know if you could either."

Ashton's eyes are welling with tears as he backs away from Luke and the bed, his hand fumbling for the doorknob to let himself out. "Fine."

Luke wants to call for Ashton to come back but his throat closes in on itself when he hears Ashton sniffle loud and slam the bedroom door shut behind him.

\-------------------------------------------------

"Luke, I swear to god, if you so much as scratch this car I will chop your head off and put it on a stick in my front yard." Michael threatens, his head poking in through the open passenger's side window as he watches Luke adjust the mirror and the seat of Michael's newly purchased used vehicle.

"Michael, this thing is a piece of shit already, how are you gonna tell if I do something to it?" Luke scoffs and he's already running kind of late and he needs to leave now but he can't resist making Michael's blood boil.

Michael just flips him off and backs away from the car, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets as Luke starts reversing out of Michael's driveway, checking the street before he turns the car onto the road and drives off. He's got the GPS going on his phone and he drives about as fast as can without getting pulled over, obsessively checking the time on the car's radio every so often to make sure he's making good time. He'd checked and rechecked the university website to make sure of the time and place of the first ANU football game of the season, wanting to be there to see Ashton play, and he's got two hours before the game is supposed to start but three more hours of driving to do and he knows he'll be late but he'll catch most of the game and he'll hopefully catch Ashton after the game too so he drives on.

Luke feels pretty lucky that there's no traffic backups along the way, hardly any construction either, nothing blocking him from getting to Ashton as he turns down the street that the football stadium is on. He picks a random parking lot to pull off in and he parks Michael's car, grabbing the handmade nerdy sign he'd constructed and checking to make sure he's actually wearing the t-shirt he made too, zipping his hoodie up over it so he's not entirely embarrassed as he gets out of the car and locks the doors behind himself. He's dodging drunk teenagers everywhere as he hustles through the parking lot to get to the sidewalk and then he starts running, getting himself to the steps of the stadium in two minutes flat. He yanks his phone out of his pocket and pulls out his digital ticket, letting the guy at the gate scan it before he goes barrelling in and blindly searches for the section he's supposed to be sitting in. He gets there eventually, looking up at the scoreboard and sighing when he realizes it's the fourth quarter and Ashton's team is winning.

Ashton's on the field, Luke can see him there setting up behind the center, and his heart is leaping out of his chest as he watches the ball snap back and Ashton launches it down the field for a touchdown. Luke screams with the rest of the crowd and game goes on in a blur, the home team victory echoing in the air and Luke feels lost in it for a second until he sees Ashton

and his team disappear into the locker room and he remembers that he needs to catch Ashton before he's gone. Luke races through the crowds, sparing no thought to the people he's elbowing out of the way as he pushes to the steps and runs around the stadium to where the locker rooms let out, the sign clutched tightly in his hand as he slides across the sidewalk just as Ashton comes walking out. The older boy isn't looking at Luke just yet, too busy talking to one of his teammates, so Luke takes the opportunity to unzip his hoodie and reveal the shirt and then unroll the sign, his cheeks flushing red with nerves. Ashton's teammate sees him before Ashton does and he smacks the older boy's arm, pointing toward Luke and Luke feels like everything goes slow motion when Ashton looks up and over and spots him standing there.

"Luke?" Ashton calls, ripping his eyes away from Luke's and looking down first at the shirt that says 'Irwin' with his jersey number '6' on it, and then at the sign that says 'You're the Edelman to my Amendola' in Luke's messy writing. "What....what are you doing here?"

"I'd never miss your first big game, Ash. You're my boy." Luke says, half smiling to himself as Ashton comes closer with a incredulous laugh. "I know that I said we couldn't make this work, but I want to Ashton. I want to because I love you and I always have and I don't know that I could ever stop."

"Luke, my god, I love you too." Ashton breathes, grabbing the sides of Luke's face and bringing him in for a kiss that sets both of their hearts on fire.

Luke drops the sign to the ground in favor of holding Ashton's waist, gripping tight and refusing to let go. He can feel people staring at them as they kiss and he doesn't give a damn, not this time. Luke isn't going to let Ashton walk away, not now and not ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY DICKHEADS. Go get drunk and kiss someone<3
> 
>  
> 
> tumblr: senioritastyles & babyhemhem  
> twitter: xtraceex  
> instagram: traceethekid  
> snapchat: youngtray


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